Speed-controlling device for note-sheets.



WITNESSES H. MEYER.

SPEED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR NOTE SHEETS.

APPLIGATION TILED MAY5, 1900.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908 HERMANN MEYER, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

biEED-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR NOTE-SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed Kay 5, 1906. Serial No. 315,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN MEYER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Speed-Controlling Device for Note-Sheets, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact descri tion.

T e invention relates to self-playing musical instruments in which anote sheet unwinds from one roller and winds up on another, and passesover a tracker board for controlling the sounding and other devices.

The object of the invention is to provide a speed controlling device,more especially designed for causing the note sheet to travel at auniform speed by rotating the winding up roller at a speed decreasing inproportion as the note sheet winds iip on the winding up roller, thuscom ensating for the increase in peri heral spee by the increasingthickness of t e note sheet roll on the winding up roller. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple means forpermitting the operator to readily set the device to a desired speed ascalled for by the music on the note s eet. 4

The invention also consists of novel features and parts and combinationsof the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and thenclaims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both theviews.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged sectional side elevation of the sectional rod of the speedadjusting device.

In self-playing ianos and like instruments, the speed 0 the note sheetincreases in proportion to the increase of the size of the note sheetroll formed on the winding u roller, without an increase in the speed ofthe latter, its driving gear and motor. Now, in orderto overcome thisdefect and to reduce the speed of the winding up roller in proportion tothe increase of the note sheet roll, the arrangement presently describedin detail is made. The note sheet A unwinds from a roller B, and afterpassing over the tracker board C winds up on the winding up roller D,

pointed out in the the said rollers B and D being journaled in the frameE of the instrument and connected by the driving gears B, D with thepneumatic motor F of any approved construction, the said gears beingpreferably, however, such as are fully shown and described in theapplication for Letters Patent of the United States for an automaticself-playing piano, No. 272,499, filed by me August 3, 1905, and thesaid pneumatic motor is preferably of the construction such as shown andlescribed in the Letters Patent of the United States for a drivingdevice for music sheets,

No. 765,503, granted to me July-l9, 1904.

The pneumatic motor F has its suction pipe F connected with a speedregulating valve G provided with a chamber G connected with the mainsuction chamber of the instrument, and the said chamber G is connectedwith a chamber G by a graduated port Gr controlled by a slide valve Grhaving its stem G extending to the outside of the valve G to connect bya link Gr with one end of a lever H fulcrumed at H on the frame E of theinstrument. A spring I presses the lever H for normally holding' thevalve G in an adjusted open position to allow the air to be drawn fromthe pneuinatics of the motor F byway of the pipe F, the val e G and themain suction chamber of the mstrument. The free end of the lever H ispivotally connected with a rod J mounted to slide on the frame E andcarrying a button J adapted to 'be engaged by the note sheet A at thewinding up roller D, so that when the note sheet A is wound up on thewinding up roller D and the note sheet roll thereon increases in size,it .is evident that the note sheet causes a gradual downward sliding ofthe rod J, whereby a swinging motion is iven to the lever H for thelatter to gradua lly close the valve Gr over the port G to reduce thesuc tion for the pneumatic motor F, to decrease the speed thereof inproportion as the note sheet roll increases on the winding. up roller D.Now, ,it is evident that as the speed of the winding up roller Dgradually decreases, the speed of the note sheet A remains uniform. Itwill also be, noticed, that by having the button J engagDing the notesheet at the winding up roller it exerts sufficient friction on the notesheet to insure a regular rewinding of the note sheet on the rewindingroller B, without any tendency of the note sheet to run faster from thewinding up roller D and to unwind faster than desired.

struction, and can e readily applied to the instruments as nowconstructed.

- Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure byLetters Patent:

1. In a self-playing musical instrument, the combination of a windingmechanism having a windingup roller for the note sheet, a pneumaticmotor for driving the said winding mechanism, a motor valve forcontrolling" the s eed of the mptor, a compensating device having alever connected with the said motor valve, and a rod mounted to slideand connected with the said lover, the rod having a button forengagement withthe note sheet at the winding '11 roller.

2. In a self-p aying musical instrument, the combination of a windingmechanism having awinding up roller for the note sheet,

so a pneumatic motor for driving the said winding mechanism, a motorvalve for controlling the speed of the motor, a compensating devicehaving a lever connected with the said motor valve, and a rod made insections adjustably connected with each other, one end of the, rod beingconnected with the said lever and the other end being adapted to beengaged by the note sheet at the winding up roller. 1

3. .In a self-playing musical instrument, the combination of a windingmechanism having a winding up roller for the note sheet, a pneumaticmotor for driving the said winding mechanism, a motor valve forcontrolling the s eed of the motor, a compensating device aving a leverconnected with the said motor valve, a rod mounted to slide and con-'nected with the said lever, the rod having a button for engagement withthe note sheet at the winding up roller, and a spring connected with thecompensating device, for holding the said button in frictional contactwith the note sheet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

, HERMANN MEYER.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. HosrER, EVERARD B. MARsHALL;

